THE PLANE from Sydney to Melbourne was just about to take off when Chad Warner had the type of jump scare that has struck so many passengers before, hit by the sinking feeling that he'd left something very important at home. "I realised I didn't bring me boots," Warner laughed. Scrambling for a backup plan, the Sydney superstar used the hour-long flight to brainstorm what he'd do.
After all, the very next evening he was due to face reigning premier Collingwood in a Friday night blockbuster at the MCG. Upon touching the tarmac in Melbourne, Warner immediately took his phone off airplane mode and already had a message waiting for him. Somewhat bizarrely, without even knowing Warner had left his boots at home, Nike's long-time Australian Football Sports Marketing Manager Damian Everetts had left him a voicemail wanting to discuss a plan for the weekend.
"He'd randomly just called me asking if I wanted to wear a pair of TNs, because he had a spare pair. I just thought, 'Well, that's perfect because I've forgotten my boots'. I didn't really have many options, to be honest," Warner told AFL.
com.au . What followed turned into an overnight sensation.
Wearing a bright orange and black-ribbed football remake of the popular Nike TN Air Max street sneaker, made famous in the 1990s and the early 2000s but undergoing somewhat of a cultural revival in recent years, Warner put the Magpies to the sword. He won 27 disposals and kicked three goals in a statement win for the Swans, but it was on.